The present invention relates in general to a board game and a method of playing it, and the invention more particularly relates to a method and apparatus for a board game, which simulates an actual game of soccer or the like.
Many different types and kinds of board games have been constructed to simulate other athletic games, such as soccer, hockey, football and the like games. In connection with such types of board games and the like, reference may be made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,824,739; 3,554,549; 3,785,648; 3,806,119; and 4,060,245. While the games and devices shown in the foregoing-mentioned patents may have been entertaining for some applications, it would be highly desirable to have an even more entertaining game which requires a higher level of skill by the players. Such a game and method of playing it should require both skill and tactics by the players, and should require manual dexterity on the part of the players. Also, such a game and method of playing it should include apparatus and methods which enable unexpected occurrences to take place so as to more closely approximate actual playing conditions of a full-scale athletic game.
Therefore, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved board game apparatus and a method of playing it to provide a more entertaining and a more realistic simulation of a full-scale athletic game.
Briefly, the above and further objects of the present invention are realized by providing a method and apparatus for playing a board game, which includes a substantially flat playing board, and a series of discs positioned on the playing surface of the playing board. The discs include a ball indicating disc and first and second player indicating discs used by opposing players to simulate the actual players of an athletic game, which in the preferred form of the present invention is a soccer game. At least one manually operated disc propelling device is used to hit sharply one of the player discs to propel it along the playing surface into engagement with the ball indicating disc which, in turn, is then driven toward the target indicia on the playing surface of the playing board. The player discs have upper and lower surfaces, and the upper surfaces are at least partially rough in texture. The ball indicating disc has a flat lower surface so that the ball indicating disc can be stacked loosely on top of one of the player indicating discs during certain game situations, such as a goal kick, in accordance with the game rules and loosely held in place by frictional engagement therewith, whereby the device can be used to propel the vertically stacked discs to cause them to slide along the playing surface. Such a manipulation requires dexterity to control the movement of the two discs. Also, the stacked discs may or may not move as a unit together, and thus they may come to rest at different random locations, thereby causing the game to more closely simulate an actual full scale athletic game.